シナモン
shinamon[ɕina̠mõ̞ɴ]
In Japanese, cinnamon is said as シナモン (shinamon). Wiktionary also lists 肉桂 (nikki, nikkei).
Meaning: spice (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| シナモン | shinamon | [ɕina̠mõ̞ɴ] (narrow) |
| 肉桂 | nikki, nikkei | [ɲ̟ik̚ke̞ː] (narrow) |
The term refers to the spice used in cooking and flavoring.
Which one should you use?
The katakana form シナモン is the most common way to refer to the spice in everyday cooking and grocery contexts. The kanji form 肉桂 is more formal or technical and is often seen in botanical contexts or traditional medicine.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To describe a cinnamon flavor, you can use the phrase シナモン味の. To describe the color cinnamon, you can use 肉桂色 or 肉桂色の.
How do you pronounce it?
shinamon
Did you know?
- The kanji 肉桂 literally translates to 'meat cinnamon' or 'fleshy cassia'.
- In traditional Japanese medicine, 肉桂 is treated as a warming agent to improve blood circulation and treat cold limbs.
- In Japanese color theory, the color described by 肉桂色 is often more associated with a subtle brown than the bright orange-brown many English speakers envision.
Examples in context
- シナモンドーナツを３個おねがいします。Could I have three cinnamon donuts?This sentence shows how to order cinnamon donuts.Tatoeba #237439 by bunbuku, translation #53443 by CK
- 煮込んだりんごに砂糖とシナモンを加えて。Add the sugar and cinnamon to the cooked apples.This sentence demonstrates adding cinnamon to cooked apples.Tatoeba #10640394 by small_snow, translation #3560460 by Lebensfreude
- トムはよくコーヒーにシナモンを入れてるよ。Tom often puts cinnamon in his coffee.This sentence illustrates putting cinnamon in coffee.Tatoeba #10582916 by small_snow, translation #6345309 by CK
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Kenta and Misaki are at a cafe choosing tea.
- 健太 Kentaこの紅茶にはシナモンが入ってる？Kono koucha ni wa shinamon ga haitteru?Does this tea have cinnamon in it?
- 美咲 Misakiうん、シナモンのいい香りがするよ。Un, shinamon no ii kaori ga suru yo.Yes, it has a nice cinnamon scent.
- 健太 Kenta美咲はシナモンは好き？Misaki wa shinamon wa suki?Do you like cinnamon, Misaki?
- 美咲 Misaki大好き。すごく落ち着く香りだね。Daisuki. Sugoku ochitsuku kaori da ne.I love it. It's such a relaxing scent.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cinnamon” translations and entries シナモン, 肉桂, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
